Pubdate: Wed, 28 Apr 2004
Source: Bristol Herald Courier (VA)
Copyright: 2004 Bristol Herald Courier
Contact:  http://www.bristolnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1211
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

REGION CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE METH BATTLE

It's Not Always Good To Be Number One.

That is especially true when it comes to methamphetamine - the illegal, 
manmade super stimulant taking our region by storm. Efforts to fight the 
dangerous drug involve everyone from beat cops to shopkeepers, from career 
prosecutors to government agencies.

The prospects for success remain an unknown quantity, but this is a battle 
we cannot afford to lose. The stakes are just too high.

In Tennessee, meth is already the main reason that children are taken from 
their homes by social workers. In the past 18 months, more than 1,600 
children were taken from Tennessee homes where the drug was being cooked. 
And, more than 1,800 secret drug laboratories were dismantled in Tennessee 
in 2003 alone.

Those are scary numbers, and Tennessee certainly is at the forefront of 
this growing drug epidemic. But Virginia, too, has seen methamphetamine 
abuse and production blossom.

In fact, our little section of Virginia has the unfortunate distinction of 
leading the state in meth lab seizures. Washington County accounts for a 
quarter of all labs uncovered in the state so far this year; throw in 
Bristol Virginia and that figure climbs to nearly a third.

The greater Southwest Virginia region - which includes 15 counties - also 
tops the state in meth lab discoveries.

You could argue local and federal law enforcers are simply doing a better 
job finding labs here than in other parts of the state, but that's likely 
only part of the explanation. It appears methamphetamine has become the 
drug of choice for too many in our region.

A few years ago, the top drug problem was the widespread illegal use of the 
potent prescription painkiller, OxyContin. Before that, it was crack cocaine.

The OxyContin problem, terrible as it was, appears to have faded - in a 
large part because of relentless pursuit by police and prosecutors of those 
dealing the drug. The unchecked flow of the drug from some area doctors 
also dried up after a series of high-profile prosecutions.

But even as the OxyContin epidemic peaked, methamphetamine already was a 
growing and gathering danger.

"The meth problem is just as bad as Oxy. It's just not on the radar," 
federal prosecutor Eric Hurt said two years ago.

It's definitely on the radar now. Tennessee lawmakers have formed a task 
force to study the problem and a statewide hotline has been set up to 
report those suspected of involvement in meth-related activities.

In Virginia, the focus has been police investigations and a slew of federal 
prosecutions resulting in major prison time in some cases. But finding meth 
labs - which tend to be in secluded, rural areas or even in the backs of 
pickup trucks - is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Those efforts to find laboratories and prosecute those responsible must 
continue. But a comprehensive solution to the meth problem will take much more.

This is a battle that's not going to be over in a few days, weeks or even 
years. It is going to require a sustained commitment of cash and resources 
for years to come. We need to be ready for that fight.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom